Butt sores

[Cyclingman1]

Perhaps the topic is a bit indelicate, but among the few rowers that I know, getting sores right at the edge of the crack in one's upper butt area seems to be a problem. But how to deal with it is bedeviling. Not talking about muscle soreness here. It is not a matter of pads either in shorts or on seat. That is too general and does nothing to keep the two cheeks from rubbing together. Heavy application of Vaseline helps some but is not foolproof. It is a hard area to bandage unless one has help. And even then the bandage has to follow all the contours to be effective. If you don't have this problem, you will have no idea what I'm talking about and will likely be skeptical. But for those who do, it is quite unpleasant. Rowing is hard enough without being distracted by some degree of pain from one's posterior. So who has had this problem and effectively solved it?

[kayakr]

Tried bodyglide or chamois butter?

[Cyclingman1]

Body glide did not do the trick. Never used chamois butter. I've never had any issues when riding a bike. I wonder how it would compare to Vaseline.

[Bob S.]

This subject came up on the UK C2 forum a while back and had a few responses that might be useful. I don't know if it would be easy to search for the thread, but a repeat of the question would probably get some response.

Bob S.

[Cyclingman1]

I actually looked at some of those entries. Various brands of chamois butter seem to lead the way on recommendations. However, just as I thought, those who have not experienced the chafing/sore problem are fairly dismissive. Suggestions like standing up every now and then are completely ridiculous. The chafing resumes when the rowing resumes. I suspect it is mostly due to anatomy and sensitivity of skin. If one's hide is tough, then they are among the lucky.

[Little John]

What are you wearing when you row? I wear compression shorts only, and I haven't had any chaffing issues.

[Cyclingman1]

LJ, It is great that you have no chaffing issues. As indicated, I'm interested in what preventive measures have been taken by those who do. Let me just note that compression shorts do not fit the contours in the area of which I speak. They do not prevent the rubbing. I wear padded spandex cycling shorts when rowing.

[jamesg]

I get some chafing if I roll my pelvis backwards at the finish. Keeping my back straight with no roll avoids this, and also reduces pain in long rows.

[Cyclingman1]

I do lay back to some extent when rowing. But that is my style. Increases length of stroke. Don't have any injury issues associated with it. I'll have to consider whether that may be my chafing problem.

[Little John]

LJ, It is great that you have no chaffing issues. As indicated, I'm interested in what preventive measures have been taken by those who do. Let me just note that compression shorts do not fit the contours in the area of which I speak. They do not prevent the rubbing. I wear padded spandex cycling shorts when rowing.

Gotcha - I reread your post, my bad. How about a thong?

[c2jonw]

Cyclingman- I occasionally experience chafing at the top of my butt crack after not erging for some time. A little lotion applied to the general area before rowing seems to solve it for me.
But I'm interested in what model and the age of the machine(s) you're using. Seat design has changed over the years, with the goal of comfort for more users. Some years ago we had a design that seemed really good but once we got it out to the general public there were a number of complaints similar to yours primarily from female on-water rowers. The solution was to deepen the pocket where the tail bone goes when you lay back. If this is your own machine you might consider some customizing of that area. We've leared over the years that wherever you try to connect a person to a machine (hands, feet, butt) there will be differences in what works for people. C2JonW

[Cyclingman1]

I added a closed cell foam pad about 1/2 in thick with a "U" cutout in the back. At this pt I think it is working.

[caroline27]

I find that when I wear nylon my bottom becomes really quite sore so I wear cotton when I remember to. My sports wear is now self-wicking to avoid moisture being trapped during rowing but that's not completely effective . The soreness we experience is a burn caused by friction and moisture. I use Sudocrem at the first sign of any soreness and I find it helps. If I am going to row for any length of time I apply a thin covering of it anyway before rowing.

[Cyclingman1]

Hopefully not TMI, but I wear underwear that is cotton under std bike shorts. Also, been using Doc's all natural chamois cream for the last week. Am familiar with Sudocrem, but have not used. I'm glad I have a handle on this situation. I've got way too many miles to row to worry about chafing sores.

[truth1ness]

Wait, have you tried rowing shorts? You said in one post you are wearing cycling shorts and that seems like the problem right there. The padding is on different, ie pretty much opposite, spots for rowing. Having that strip of padding down the middle just means there's more material in your crack to rub. It works on a bike seat because it is stretched over the seat, but on a flat rowing seat it just bunches up into a damp mess. Rowing shorts pad around that area, not in, so you get air and nothing to bunch up. You said you don't wear compression shorts because they don't pad that area, but I think that's exactly what you want. Compression or rowing shorts would help I think. Cotton underwear under the bike shorts seems like it would compound this even more as it wicks slower and bunches up even worse. Do you wear cotton underwear under your bike shorts when you bike or just for rowing? I think you've simply got too much stuff down the centerline. As a cyclist I'm sure you're familiar with how the longer distance you ride the more narrow and hard you want your seat to minimize the possible mass that rubs against you. Same case here but in the opposite area.

Also, just to check, do you have your seat on the right way? Is the divot on the back or is it in the front?

Another idea would be just coating the area and area above it with anti-persperant. But if you don't fix the over padding in the middle it'll just get rubbed off.

In general, laying back back till your tailbone touches the seat is a bit concerning to me but it sounds like it's working for you. Is your back straight when you do this or are you just rolling your pelvis?